


1. From Days Past

by TalesofAshe



Series: Tales of Kephaream: A Changing Heart [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Fantasy, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Forbidden Love, Gay Sex, Internal Conflict, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:55:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25319425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesofAshe/pseuds/TalesofAshe
Summary: Welcome to the test chapter of Tales of Kephaream: a Changing Heart. This chapter serves as an introduction to the story, characters and writing style.Pashial Betynné is member of the Southern Clan of the Rahnvirr race with a high level of sympathy for the Daesii, a race of shapeshifters. Specifically due to him falling in love with their prince, Rashan Shirdha. He finds out the clan is investigating conflict involving the Daesii and is reminded of the internal conflict he feels between following the clan he swore duty to and his feelings for the shapeshifters, which leads him to a memory that captures his first love, Rashan.
Relationships: Pashial Betynné/Rashan Shirdha
Series: Tales of Kephaream: A Changing Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833925





	1. From Days Past

Another tiring day of training youngsters. Soon they would send over people from other clans to be trained in their weaponry, which meant their own youngster needed to be capable of, at the very least, the basics of handling. It would save him a lot of work training if they did.

Pashial sighed and put away his bow and riding gear before exiting the training halls.

He walked through the already dark halls to the mess hall to get some food. He knew he might be too late at this point and need to ask Helene for scraps. He really had to check his horse before getting back in and it had all turned out to take longer than he anticipated.

Opening the large wooden door and saw a couple of their men still at the tables, wearing full uniforms. They must've just returned from a mission. They didn't look messy, though, so it must've been a simple or peaceful mission.  
As he walked closer to the table, to his surprise, he saw Fagan sitting with them. Their clan leader.

"It's not often we can spot you seated among your men, Fagan. You fed up bossing us around and decided to join our ranks?" Pashial friendly punched Fagan's shoulder and took a seat beside him looking at the bits of food that were still out on the table.

"I'd be careful if I was you." Fagan took his pint of ale and took a big gulp."We were discussing the mission while we eat to save me from staying up late again. You know Theresia. She'd kill me if I returned while she slept. The sacrifices you make for love..." He chugged the rest of his ale.

Theresia was indeed not an easy woman, she had the temperament of her father that was for sure. The Morwin family didn't mess around, sometimes we wondered what he even saw in her.

"What was this mission about?" Pashial said as he filled an empty plate with meat and veg.

"Mostly territory watch. The Daesii are testing us, although that would imply they ever didn't. There's been more activity outside their kingdom. They're up to something, and I'm not waiting around for things to escalate first. Brenn was about to tell me about it." Fagan sounded sharp whenever the Daesii were mentioned. It wasn't surprising given what they did to him but still.

"I wouldn't be worried if it was traders going in and out but these seem to be trained individuals. It's hard to tell if there's a conflict going on among their own or if they wish to start it elsewhere. I think we should alert the Tower to keep an eye out giving they are central and would notice any movement going North or East." Brenn said while arranging his meat on a slice of bread.

"I heard rumours their kingdom is restless because the royal family has problems with their heir. That's what you get spoiling your children in a pleasure palace, I hope it cleans itself up before we have to." Another member, Trok, said while chewing on his food.

Pashial clenched his fist. He didn't agree with the assumptions his fellow clan members had on the Daesii."I agree alerting the Tower may be a good precaution. However, it is still OUR job to take control of problems in the South. I want a more detailed report in the morning." Fagan got up looking rather worked up and left the room. The rest of them continued to eat in silence.

\---

Pashial lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He moved his hands through his hair for the hundredth time holding on to his head before letting go with a deep sigh. It had been a while since he'd have trouble sleeping. Usually, he was too tired from training all day that it was no issue.

Tonight's mention of the Daesii stirred something up. He closed his eyes.

_Rashan._   
_Were you the spoiled heir they were talking about?_   
_It had been many years since he last saw or heard from him._   
_Did I ever cross his mind?_

After all this time Rashan was still the only one that ever captured his heart. There was something about him that made him feel accepted for who he was, what he liked.

_No. Maybe it was just a stupid encounter. We were young, it couldn't have meant anything._

He covered his eyes.

_It's no use denying. He's still that one thing I desire._

He thought back of that night he confessed.

\---

It was dark and chilly outside in the stables. The soft sound of the horses moving and breathing and the crickets in the field beyond were the only thing you could hear.

There he was, sitting against the wall on a pile of straw. Gazing at the stars.

If it wasn't for his creme tunic there would've been no way Pashial could tell he was sitting there. His skin a nice dark grey, his hair black as the night curling itself playfully around his face. His eyes a burning amber. Otherworldly was one way to describe it, especially compared to the simplicity of his own people.

He slowly approached, his heart beating in his throat.

"Mind if I join you?" He whispered as he approached Rashan.

Rashan looked up at Pashial and smiled, indicating him to sit down beside him.

"I didn't expect you to come here. I know you've been watching me for some time but didn't know you had the balls to actually approach me." Rashan sighed.

"Why are you people actually so anxious to approach me? I never understood that gap between the Dae and Rahnvirr..." Rashan kept looking up at the sky the whole time he was talking.

"I'm not so sure, to be honest. So... you noticed me... watching you."Pashial felt a bit ashamed of his behaviour. He'd been entranced by Rashan his presence since the day he arrived at his parents' inn but had too scared to approach him till now.

Rashan chuckled softly.

"Should I feel honoured? Maybe I should reward you for your effort although it may just as well scare you away..." he closed his eyes and sighed.

"You saw me with that man that day didn't you? Were you envious?" Rashan opened his eyes and looked directly at Pashial, who blushed in response.

That time was when he was cleaning the stables and saw Rashan and a stranger make out in one of the stalls. He was looking for Rashan to help out when he caught a glimpse right when things started to get intimate. On one hand, he'd been shocked, he'd never seen a man be intimate with another man before. But also, he kind of wanted it himself. He'd been watching them for a few seconds, frozen in place until he thought they would find out and bolted. He was ashamed of prying into something so private but also wondered if these things happened more often since Rashan had been here.

"N-no, w-why would I be envious of t-tha..." Before he could finish he saw Rashan grin at him and move close enough that he could feel his warm breath.

"You can just admit it if you wished you could trade places with him at that time. Maybe I can grant your wish now..." He raised his hand and caressed Pashial cheek slowly moving his face closer as to kiss him, but giving him time to reject if needed.

Pashial felt taken by surprise.

_What should he do? He did actually want to trade places with that man that time but was he actually going to give in to his desires now? He barely knew Rashan. He barely knew what it was he wanted but what he did know was that he'd been longing to know what his touch felt like. The warmth of his breath on his skin. The taste of his lips..._

He closed his eyes and decided to take the step. He moved his face closer in response till their lips met and ran his hand through Rashans' hair.

Nicely surprised, Rashan straddled him as he continued to kiss him. Holding onto Pashial's face, slowly parting his lips to introduce a new taste, as their tongues met another.

Pashial gently pulled back as he gasped for air.

Rashan chuckled, holding on to his chin.

"Don't forget to breathe, there's no fun in kissing a corpse. I'd almost think you've never kissed someone before..." Rashan was already trying to get back to kissing him.

"That's because I haven't..." replied Pashial softly. He saw Rashan's expression change from a teasing grin to one of worry.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to force myself onto you like that..." Rashan was about to let go of him when Pashial pulled him back into a kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"You didn't force yourself onto me... I've been thinking of how it would be to-"

"To make love to me? Can't say it hasn't crossed my mind before... With you that is." Rashan was slowly showing that teasing grin again.

"Gods, are you always so direct about your feelings... but y-yes..." Pashial face was getting red.

"Only in the right company... Who am I kidding, I feel too strongly to make things any less than they are." He pressed his lips against his again, slowly slipping his hand underneath Pashial's shirt, exploring his chest.

"Let's take care of these clothes first, they're in the way... tell me if I should slow down or stop..."

He carefully lifted Pashial's shirt over his head, kissing his chest and neck in the process. It didn't take long before Rashan had gently taken off all of Pashial's clothing. Despite his efforts, Pashial couldn't get his hands in to unclothe Rashan in return.

"No need to worry about that, I'm not actually wearing clothes..." Rashan kissed Pashial on his forehead before standing up.

As he stood there his body, looking like it was clothed in a crème tunic and brown pants suddenly shifted, transformed, into a slim, dark grey, naked body. He could barely make out the thin tail that swept back and forth behind him as he stood there under the night sky.

"You knew the Daesii are shifters, right? It's so much easier to just shift yourself into or out of some clothes than going through the entire hassle of getting undressed..." He sat back down beside Pashial on the straw.

"You do realise I will now always wonder if you're technically naked or not walking the street, right?" He murmured as he reached out a hand and ran it across Rashan's chest before resting it in his neck and pulling him close.

"I thought that was part of the fun... either way shouldn't be a problem though." Rashan kissed him. It was almost feeling like second nature at this point, but Pashial needed to know something first.

"I have a question though... Do you have feelings for me or is it normal for you to just... mess around with men...?" Pashial bit his tongue.

"How is that a question? Can't it be yes on both?" Rashan looked puzzled."That man I saw you with, did you have feelings for him?"

"I thought he was attractive, yes."

"But did you love him?"

"No. He was a stranger."Rashan sighed.

"My people aren't so hung up on 'love' during encounters like this. We take what we desire if it accepts the invitation and occasionally we build up relationships, partnerships. I noticed it tends to be different for you here."

"So am I 'just' attractive to you then..." Pashial bit his lip.

_Was he going to end up a plaything?_

"You may be surprised to hear this given how little we've actually spoken before tonight... I do have special feelings for you. It's not just because a Rahnvirr shows genuine interest in someone like me..." Rashan took Pashial's hands, kissed them and gently pulled him into his lap.

"Besides, I've noticed there's strength hiding underneath this soft side you always show me. You don't back down. Just thinking about it makes me excited... I look forward to the day you'll show it to the world..."

"Show me what your words mean..."

Rashan let go of his hands and wrapped his arms around Pashial's waist, pulling him against his chest, feeling every inch of their bodies touching as they leant into another kiss.

He went on kissing down his neck, licking him, grinding his hips into his. Pashial let out a soft moan. He could feel his hands were shaking as Rashan gently ran his fingertips along his spine.

"Are you alright..?" Rashan whispered in his ear before running the tip of his tongue along the edge and nibbling on his lobe.

"I-I think so... "

_I want more of you._

Pashial felt feverish under his touch. He noticed he was breathing more heavily now that they were so close, yet he still felt like he wanted to be closer as if they could melt together.

Holding on to him tightly, Rashan rolled the two of them over till he was on top. In response, Pashial wrapped his legs around him and moved his hands down his back. Rashan had to shift his weight a little bit as not to crush Pashial. He gently pushed his legs up a bit more as he slipped inside, letting out a soft moan.

Their hands and lips danced over each other's skin as they worked out the right rhythm. Sweat pooled on Rashan's back and he could taste the saltiness on Pashial's chest as he explored it with his tongue. Gently nibbling on the soft nipples he found till they hardened with his touch.

As the rhythm changed so did their breathing and moans, growing more deep and ragged. Rashan tried to tightly hold on to Pashial's arched back with his trembling hands till their pleasure left them breathless. Their minds submerged in a state of sensual bliss as they melted into each other's embrace.

Rashan picked a piece of straw out Pashial's blonde hair, kissing him one more time before laying down next to him. He chuckled and sighed.

"Could've fooled me that that was your first time... You continue to surprise me..."


End file.
